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danacotto 's review for:
The Poet X
by Elizabeth Acevedo
I love coming of age stories. This one is particularly brilliant because, despite the title, it's not a book of poetry but instead about a poet who tells her story using poetic techniques. Xiomara lives with her very religious Catholic mother in a Dominican-American household with her father and her twin brother who she has little in common with. As puberty sets in, her body is starting to fill out, and both she and many of the boys in her community are becoming very aware. She regularly has to defend herself from the boys in school, meanwhile, facing regular verbal lashings from her mother about not being the perfect Catholic daughter. She uses writing as an escape.
Acevedo takes a relatable coming of age story and tells it in a compelling way that keeps the reader engaged. Acevedo's gift is taking a story and telling it in a new and creative way. If you're both a lover of poetry and novels this one is the perfect combination that will stretch you beyond what you know is capable of a novel. Acevedo reminds us here that a novel can be anything you want it to be if you know your craft well. Personally, she has reminded me of what is possible for stories about us and written for Black and Brown girls who all have stories to tell. Highly recommend.
Acevedo takes a relatable coming of age story and tells it in a compelling way that keeps the reader engaged. Acevedo's gift is taking a story and telling it in a new and creative way. If you're both a lover of poetry and novels this one is the perfect combination that will stretch you beyond what you know is capable of a novel. Acevedo reminds us here that a novel can be anything you want it to be if you know your craft well. Personally, she has reminded me of what is possible for stories about us and written for Black and Brown girls who all have stories to tell. Highly recommend.